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Hegseth renames North Carolina military base Fort Roland L. Bragg and declares, ‘Bragg is back!’

Hegseth renames North Carolina military base Fort Roland L. Bragg and declares, ‘Bragg is back!’

Feb 11, 2025 | 4:06pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under the Biden administration to remove names that honored Confederate leaders. The base’s original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general. But a Pentagon spokesman said Monday that Hegseth was renaming the base to honor World War II hero Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. Hegseth says in a video he posted on X announcing the renaming, “Bragg is back!”
Farmers are still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across the South

Farmers are still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across the South

Dec 21, 2024 | 2:40am
LYONS, Ga. (AP) — Farmers in Georgia are still reeling more than two months after Hurricane Helene blew away cotton, destroyed ripened squash and cucumbers and uprooted pecan trees and timber. Agribusinesses in other Southern states saw costly damage as well. The University of Georgia estimates the September storm inflicted $5.5 billion in direct losses and indirect costs in Georgia alone. In rural Toombs County, Chris Hopkins just finished harvesting his ravaged cotton crop and figures he lost half of it, costing him about $430,000. Poultry grower Jeffrey Pridgen in Georgia’s Coffee County had four of his 12 chicken houses destroyed and others badly damaged. Farmers say more government disaster assistance is needed.
North Carolina official overseeing hurricane rebuilding efforts is no longer in role

North Carolina official overseeing hurricane rebuilding efforts is no longer in role

Nov 21, 2024 | 4:25pm
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The chief operating officer for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency is no longer working in the position as of Wednesday. An office spokesperson confirmed Laura Hogshead is out of the role and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s legislative lobbyist Pryor Gibson will serve in the interim. Hogshead’s departure comes after a scathing rebuke of her work by GOP state lawmakers during a Monday hearing. The recovery office is facing a more than $220 million deficit to continue housing projects in parts of eastern North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. Republican legislators say the office has mismanaged its funds.
The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms

The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms

Nov 19, 2024 | 11:02am
NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The White House’s Christmas tree is slated to be cut and transported from a North Carolina farm on Wednesday. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm is located in Avery County, North Carolina. It was one of the hardest-hit counties from Hurricane Helene just a few months before. The farm experienced some road damage and lost between 5,000 to 6,000 smaller trees in a mudslide. But one of the owners, Sam Cartner Jr., says that other Christmas tree farmers had it much worse than his family’s farm. He hopes the White House tree can be an inspiring symbol for western North Carolina.
Weekend Gardener tips: The “mule” of ornamental grasses

Weekend Gardener tips: The “mule” of ornamental grasses

Oct 26, 2024 | 1:58pm
One of my favorite fall-winter plants is the ever-adaptable pink muhly grass. It’s a workhorse, a “mule” of ornamental grasses. It’s native to North Carolina and thrives in many environments. My good friends at the cooperative extension service tell me that pink muhly grass, as it’s known around here, is pretty happy in dry savannas. Savannas are dry, hot grassland areas with a few trees and are not just found in Africa. They also grow in prairies, upland forests, marshes, or in your home’s sunny landscape.
North Carolina’s governor approves more than $600 million in Helene recovery funding

North Carolina’s governor approves more than $600 million in Helene recovery funding

Oct 25, 2024 | 11:31am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state legislators have approved over $600 million more toward Hurricane Helene recovery and relief. The Republican-dominated General Assembly held a one-day session Thursday to consider additional funding and legislation. Four weeks ago, Helene tore across the Southeast and wreaked havoc in western North Carolina. Lawmakers had approved a $273 million package earlier this month. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has calculated overall storm damages and needs at over $53 billion and is requesting $3.9 billion in state funds. Republican leaders said they would consider Cooper’s proposal in the weeks ahead. The legislature also enacted another measure to direct two storm-affected counties to open more early-voting sites.
Senate leader cites ‘incompetence’ and criticizes Governor Cooper’s latest request for state relief funding

Senate leader cites ‘incompetence’ and criticizes Governor Cooper’s latest request for state relief funding

Oct 24, 2024 | 11:12am
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — North Carolina legislators returned to work Thursday to address further relief efforts following the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, but Senate president Phil Berger doesn’t expect any action on Governor Cooper’s $3.9 billion request for disaster relief. State lawmakers approved an initial $270 million relief package last month, but Berger said he expects lawmakers will approve additional funding for Helene recovery efforts. However, he cautioned against rushing to spend all the state’s reserves so soon. Berger criticized Gov. Cooper’s administration for failing to get aid to Hurricane Matthew and Florence victims, including some people who lost their homes in 2016.
North Carolina government calculates Hurricane Helene damages, needs at least $53B

North Carolina government calculates Hurricane Helene damages, needs at least $53B

Oct 24, 2024 | 9:16am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials say the catastrophic flooding and destruction from Hurricane Helene likely caused at least $53 billion in damages and recovery needs in the state. Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration generated the preliminary figure in a report released Wednesday that also includes Cooper’s request to the General Assembly for $3.9 billion. The request was disclosed the day before the legislature planned to meet for a one-day session to advance additional Helene recovery legislation. Cooper says the previous record for storm damage in North Carolina was $17 billion after Hurricane Florence in 2018.
A hurricane’s historic destruction hasn’t stopped North Carolina election workers and voters

A hurricane’s historic destruction hasn’t stopped North Carolina election workers and voters

Oct 23, 2024 | 2:28pm
HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (AP) — Elections officials, poll workers and voters in western North Carolina have been adapting in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s destruction. The storm destroyed roads, bridges and homes, and left communities without power and water. Despite the widespread destruction, election workers have rallied to set up polling sites and help voters cast ballots during the early voting period in the crucial presidential battleground. Turnout during last week’s first day of early in-person voting set a record, and more than 1.3 million people have cast ballots since then. Many election workers and voters in a hard-hit Democratic-leaning county and others in a Republican-leaning one expressed a gritty determination to make sure voters’ voices are heard.
FEMA workers change some hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina after receiving threats

FEMA workers change some hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina after receiving threats

Oct 15, 2024 | 1:21pm
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Officials say federal disaster workers paused and then changed some of their hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina, including abandoning door-to-door visits, after receiving threats. The threats that they could be targeted by a militia emerged over the weekend, at a time when the government response to Helene is being targeted by rampant disinformation. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call about a man with an assault rifle who commented about possibly harming employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency working in the hard-hit areas of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, in the North Carolina mountains. The man was later arrested charged with a misdemeanor.